I finally graduated from College. My Commencement weekend & Now what?
Hello!
This past weekend was quite the adventure! It started off Thursday night and I headed for Hays Kansas to begin the events surrounding the graduation ceremony. We arrived late that night due to a few stops to keep the little guy happy.
Friday morning I went the the student union to pick up my cap and gown. I also purchased a graduation t-shirt. Next we attended the Graduation Luncheon and visited the Robin Alumni Center. That evening we met my parents for dinner at Montana Mikes.
Saturday we all got up bright and early and headed down to the Gross Memorial Coliseum for the Commencement Ceremony. The ceremony was long but well orchestrated. (I have included some pictures in this message.)
Following the ceremony we went to the Virtual College Lunch. This was pretty neat because the President of the University decided to eat lunch with us. (no one else was at our table.) He gave Alex a Fort Hays State Tiger pin and a person business card for myself. I also got a Virtual college laptop case and come personalized M&M's. We also met my advisor and the School's Provost. Next we visited the Sternberg Museum of Natural History. Alex really enjoyed the robotic dinosaurs and the other exhibits. Lastly for the day we went to the Harley Davidson Store.
Sunday morning we hit the road back to Leavenworth but we made a couple neat stops on on the way. First we visited the Rolling Hills Zoo & Museum in Salina and then we popped into the Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego. We enjoyed them both a lot.
Overall it was a busy but very fun weekend.
I graduated from Fort Hays State University as a virtual student.
For those who missed my graduation and would still like to see it. You can see the entire ceremony on this link. :) http://fhsu.edu/campusSpotlight.aspx?id=15032387964&terms=graduation+2010 Just hit view ARCHIVED 2010 COMMENCEMENT.
I now hold a Bachelor's of General Studies Degree in Child Development. I completed all 35 course hours left in the 2009/2010 school year so I could finish my degree as quickly as possible.
Basically this means I heavily studied the development of children from Conception through Adolescence. I learned about how children develop, the basics behind genetic and hereditary disorders both physical and mental, child behavior & thought, the basic psychology of a child, special needs, teacher education and training and strategies.
As for my general studies hours I also happen to have 33 course hours in Choral Music and Theater which I feel I will also be able to put to use in my future classroom either during regular hours or as an after school deal if I am able to arrange it. I feel strongly that students with special needs deserve an opportunity to be involved in extra curricular activities as well. This will also make use of my artistic background which will keep me happy since I rarely utilize my skills right now.
My next mission leads me to the University of Kansas where I will be entering the 2nd ranked Special Education Master's School in the country to become certified in Early Childhood Special Education. Part way through I will also be looking at getting a second endorsement through Project Alive which is a scholarship funded program that allows teachers to also become certified in Low Incidence Disabilities. More specifically this encompasses children with severe physical, mental and emotional disabilities. This certification would allow me to teach children Pre-K through grade 12. Thus I would end up with two Master's degrees. It is going to be very challenging and will take me a few years to complete. With my degrees I am also seeking to teach a college level course or two. Hopefully everything works out timely and in my favor.
Wow.. this message got rather long.
Take care!
Ruthie